News and Events

Dia De Los Muertos Concert

October 28, 2018 – Wow! We had our Dia De Los Muertos concert at the Lensic today and it was incredible. The event featured music and dancing by talented local groups – Lone Piñon, Ballet Folklorico de Santa Fe, and Mariachi Sonidos Del Monte. All proceeds will go to help fund our school. Thank you to all of the local artists who participated and all of our audience members.

We also owe a very special thanks to our concert’s leading sponsor, Terra Nova Equestrian Training Center in El Dorado, NM. At Terra Nova, they use Positive Reinforcement Training, a humane best-practice for their horses. Their method creates happy, polite, and confident horses. They offer a variety of clinics and workshops for aspiring and experienced riders. Check them out!

Spring Cleaning

April 19, 2018 – A HUGE thanks to the wonderful group of volunteers from PNM who visited us for their day of service! This amazing group braved the Santa Fe spring winds to spend their morning cleaning our play yard. They totally transformed our entire outdoor space. They cleaned all of our outdoor toys and equipment, made fixes to equipment, cleared the yard and perimeter path of rocks and litter, trimmed trees, and even dug a hole for our spring dinosaur dig. Thank you!

Fall Family Potluck

October 18, 2017 – Every fall Playschool families gather for a delicious potluck dinner. Our families sign up for dishes and this year’s buffet was incredible – lasagnas, pulled pork, enchiladas, tamales, fresh baked bread, hearty salads, and, of course, delectable desserts. The children entertained their families. Erlinda led the kids in a sign language performance and Martha and Josh led the Prep Classers in a display of the beautiful circus masks they’ve made. Then the kids enjoyed a special performance by Lovedeedoo the Clown. It was a great evening!

Graduation!!

August 4, 2017 – Playschool said good bye to our Prep Classers at a beautiful graduation ceremony. As usual, the children worked all summer on their performance, in which they wrote and recited their own stories and sang songs. Playschool takes the transition from preschool to kindergarten very seriously and most of the summer curriculum is focused on preparing the kids for this transition. The last week of school we have our annual PJ party in which the prep classers get to stay at school until 9pm and enjoy a potluck dinner with a movie. No parents allowed! The summer concludes with our graduation ceremony. We wish all of our dear Prep Classers the best of luck in Kindergarten!

1,000 Kid March at the Roundhouse

March 1, 2017 – The Playschool of the Arts participated in a march at the Roundhouse to draw attention to the need for early childhood education funding in New Mexico. Our Prep Classers prepared for the march by making signs and learning cheers. Prep classers also practiced getting on the bus and sticking with a buddy. The bus ride from school was a major hit! Once at the Roundhouse, we joined preschools from around the state to march around the building to demand more funding for New Mexico’s children. Once inside, the kids got to hear from legislators who spoke directly to them about the importance and rewards from investing in early childhood programs. It was a long day so Martha led the kids in a quick yoga break too!

Thank You to the Awesome Foundation

December 3, 2016 – A HUGE thank you to the Awesome Foundation of Santa Fe for a $1,000 grant, which will enable us to buy new rugs for our school. Our current rugs are over a decade old and with all the active play and yoga that we do at Playschool we really wear and tear up rugs. This would not have been possible without this grant from the Awesome Foundation of Santa Fe. The Awesome Foundation is a global community advancing the interest of awesome in the universe, $1,000 at a time. For more information, check out our local chapter’s website at http://www.awesomefoundation.org/en/chapters/santafe.

Graduation

August 4, 2016 – We said good bye to our prep-classers who are heading off to kindergarten in a few weeks. Here are a few words about the ceremony from our consultant at the FOCUS program, who came to the event.

“The ceremony performance had songs, scenes related to the children’s recent work in the garden and plants/vegetables that grew, a candlelight ceremony honoring their readiness and transition to kindergarten…Tonight’s graduation performance exemplified the high quality of learning and leadership coming from Martha and staff. Children were individually engaged in singing and performing. There was guidance from Martha throughout the performance and she took time to talk the parents/families through each scene relating it to the children’s learning throughout the year and their readiness for kindergarten. The children were individually recognized and honored through the lighting of the candle ceremony. Children were able to say aloud what school they will be attending. This ceremony was tailored to honoring children and families. Each child leaves this school knowing they were “loved” and cared for by the staff while being supported by the parents/families. Kudos to Martha and staff at Playschool of the Arts for Kids to their fine work in all areas with the children/families of New Mexico.”

Spring Raffle

May 16, 2016 – Congratulations to the winners of our first annual spring raffle! 1st prize ($500) Marcus Pinon, 2nd prize ($150) Henry Gonzales, and 3rd prize ($50) Richie Chavez! Thanks to all our families who worked so hard selling tickets and to everyone who came out to the DeVargas Center for our big drawing.

Board of Directors Elections & Meeting

April 2016 – The Playschool Board of Directors will be holding an election for its officers at our next meeting, Tuesday April 19th at 6pm at the school. Any and all members of the Playschool community are welcome to attend this meeting. Come and vote! We would also love to hear from you about any other questions or concerns you may have. Hope to see you there.

Community Helpers

March 2016 – Our Community Helpers curriculum ended with a bang when we had an action-packed week of visits from Santa Fe’s own emergency responders. Brave members of 911 dispatch, animal control, the bomb unit (and their robots!), and the Fire, SWAT, and EMS departments told the kids (in an age-appropriate way) about their jobs helping our community. The kids got to see the robots in action as well as climb and explore emergency vehicles. Special thanks to parent and board member Leah Chavez for coordinating this amazing week. And thank you to all the parents who participated in the community helper curriculum by joining us to explain their own special and unique roles in our community.

Happy New Year and Winter Concert

January 15, 2016 – We celebrated the new year this week with our annual winter concert. Parents, grandparents, and friends joined us for an evening of music, storytelling, dance and more. Our wonderful teachers and students practiced for months and the room was bursting with excitement and enthusiasm. The Toddlers showed us how they make music with their sticks. The Resters acted out some of our favorite nursery rhymes and stories. The Prep Class wowed us with their knowledge of letters and sounds.

For any families that couldn’t be there (or for those that want to see more), we look forward to your participation in upcoming circle times. Keep an eye on the bulletin board for updates.

November Events! Harvest, Winter, and Giving Thanks

November 9, 2015 – We have a number of fun & educational events planned before we break for Thanksgiving.

On Monday, November 23rd at 11am, teachers Lynette and Ericka will share with us their Pueblo harvest traditions. The entire school will participate in a circle of culture, storytelling, and visuals.

On Tuesday, November 24th at 2pm, Playschool parents Shandiin and Carrie will read coyote stories before rest time. It is a tradition of their Navajo roots to read these stories during the winter months.

Also on Tuesday, our kids and teachers will make a Thanksgiving lunch of soup, bread, and dessert. We will tell the story of stone soup, an ancient tale that illustrates that the gift of giving is far more delightful than the act of hoarding. (Please bring lunches anyway)

Happy Halloween!

October 30, 2015 – It was a spooky, scary, and most of all silly celebration at Playschool’s annual Halloween party! We had a runway where the kids could show off their costumes, followed by refreshments (witches brew!). Trick or treat!

Thanks to Our Angel Donors

October 21, 2015 – The kids at Playschool rolled out the red carpet last week for the generous donor of our new climbing structure, Ms. Randy McGinn. The architects and designers of the structure were also on site. The kids sang a thank you song and presented them with an enormous card. We at Playschool are extremely grateful to angel donors Randi McGinn, McCarthy Building Company, Bristol Steele, FBT Architects, and New Mexico Appleseed.

Fall Family Pot Luck Dinner

October 17, 2015 –Wow! What a beautiful evening at Playschool. Thanks to all our families that shared such delicious dinners with us. After dinner, Martha awarded parent Giulia Jameson with Playschool’s first-ever Alpha Chi Omega award. All three of Giulia’s sons have gone to Playschool, starting as toddlers until kindergarten. Giulia has also served on the board and we thank her for her service to the school. We also heard from our fabulous teachers who encouraged parents to check the bulletin boards for class updates and to talk to their kids about what they do at Playschool. The board at Playschool gives a huge thanks to all the parents that signed up for committees. We will be contacting you soon. And, drum roll please…. We collected over $325 for much needed supplies to maintain our playground equipment.